


Please Stay With Me

by koumugi



Category: Hunter X Hunter
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, but in a good way
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-23
Updated: 2019-06-05
Packaged: 2020-01-24 11:39:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,051
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18570715
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/koumugi/pseuds/koumugi
Summary: AU where everything is the same, except when the palace is under attack and Komugi is injured, she remains conscious long enough to ask Meruem to stay with her while she is being healed.





	1. The Way You Make Me Feel

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This is my first fanfiction..in a good 7 years. I usually don't write, but merumugi gave me a wide array of feelings that I didn't know how else to cope with besides writing stories in which they are able to be happy. I wish so desperately that things would have gone differently for them, so hopefully I am able to tell their story in a happier way while remaining true to the characters. I may update the tags/rating as the story goes on, but we'll see!
> 
> It was very difficult to decide how I wanted to refer to Meruem, but since at this point in the story, neither of them knows his name, it will flip between "Supreme leader" when Komugi is referring to him, since that's how she refers to him, and as "the King" when it is in neutral reference.

It was another relatively peaceful day for Komugi, another day where she was blessed with being able to feel 'happy'. She had just finished another Gungi match with the King, and although he had not told her his name, she still felt rather content. She decided that perhaps, she wasn't worthy of knowing his name anyways. After all, she was but a clumsy nuisance whose only talent was Gungi. She hums contently as she sits down on the floor next to her Gungi board, and begins to run her fingers against the edges of the board. As she ponders today's events, her mind wanders to the mysterious new supreme leader. He was quite different from the last one, but better, she had decided. He was rather nice to her, and that was something she surely was not used to from anyone, not even her own family; because of this, he held a special place in her heart. Her feelings for him were indescribable to even herself, for she had never once experienced a relationship or forged a bond such like this one. She began to contemplate what exactly it was that she felt for him, as her fingers subconsciously began to delicately trace over the pieces she had previously placed on the board. Being blind her whole life, she was always detached from her surroundings. She often wandered into her own mind to seek solace, as the outside world felt so foreign to her, like something she never quite belonged to.  

A thud from behind her snaps her out of her thoughts. She turns her head to the source of the noise, albeit realizing that she will not be able to see the cause. Perhaps one of the people that were always with the supreme leader had come to get her to play Gungi again. _So soon?_ She wondered, for she knew she couldn't have been daydreaming that long, and it was surely the middle of the night. She wasn't hasty to dismiss it though, as the supreme leader often had the tendency to call her at seemingly random times to play Gungi. It was as if the whim just hit him sometimes, and she was being pulled back into a match, the one world she was familiar with. Komugi felt a sense of comfort when she was summoned to play Gungi with the supreme leader, it felt as if she was finally needed for something, by someone. This feeling helped make her feel a little bit more whole, as if she was finally experiencing something she had missed out on her entire life.

"Supreme leader?" She tilts her head up and asks meekly. Komugi knew there was a slim chance it was actually him that had decided to wander into her room, but embarrassingly, she was unable to remember any of the names of those who did come to get her. She knows she's heard them before, but she can never recall their names when she needs to. She is met with momentary silence before the rustle of noise continues, getting louder, and closer. Puzzled by the lack of response, Komugi decides to call out again, but before she can get the words to come out, she feels something sharp pierce her arm. She draws back quickly, confused and overwhelmed by the situation she's now found herself in. Sometimes being unable to see what's going on around you is a real detriment, now happens to be one of those times.

As she continues to feel an assault of sharp, what she presumes to be nails of some sort, claw against her hands and forearms, she slowly begins to assess and piece it together. _Whoosh sound, probably flapping, means wings. Long sharp piercing feeling, probably claws._ Her assumptions are quickly confirmed when the creature assaulting her lets out a startling _caw_. She sniffles, and raises her arm to block her face, but not before the creature, which she knows now to be a bird, is able to get a few good scratches in on her cheeks. _At least it missed the important parts, like my eyes._ She lets out a small chuckle under her breath. _It sure would suck if it scratched my eyes out and I went blind._ Yes, she would keep herself preoccupied with jokes and banter that only she could hear. This is all she could do after all, she wasn't strong enough to fight it off, hell, she couldn't even _see_ it to fight it off. And it was so late, people were sleeping and there's no way she could even think to yell for help and wake someone up. Surely the bird would get bored of attacking a helpless, blind girl eventually. Once it realizes it has nothing to gain and is no longer entertained, it'll be on its merry way. Komugi was sure she could hold out until then, she's endured much worse pain. It's not the first time she's been attacked by something, or _someone_ , and sadly she knows it won't be the last. She sits like this for several minutes, trying to shield her face with her arms because the skin on her face is more sensitive. She would rather her arms be the ones injured instead, as it heals faster and causes less pain. The bird is relentless, and just as Komugi is giving up hope on it ever leaving her alone, she is startled by a new, sudden noise of what she recognizes to be her bedroom doors slamming open.

Mere moments later, and a couple _whoosh_ ing noises as well, which Komugi is unable to recognize or parse, she realizes that she is no longer being assaulted. She lowers her arms and looks upwards, presumably where her rescuer is, as they have just busted in through the door. _Oh no, I wonder if the bird cawing woke someone up. I hope they aren't upset with me._ She shudders at the thought of having to deal with one of the supreme leader's bodyguards when they are upset. They don't even seem to enjoy the fact that she's around to begin with, she can't imagine what hell they would unleash upon her if she had managed to upset one of them.

"Thank you..very much." She stumbles out. It comes out too quickly, her voice is shaky and you can tell she's been holding back tears.

"Why did you not call for help?" The voice she recognizes as belonging to the supreme leader echoes throughout the room almost immediately after she finishes speaking. She hears his footsteps get closer as he crouches down to her. She can feel his breath on her face, and her anxiety level rises. She's upset him, and in her mind, that is the absolute worst mistake she could possibly make. But before she can stumble out an apology, he speaks up once again.

"Here..." He declares, and Komugi can hear an edge in his voice that she's never heard before. Beneath all the frustration his voice masks another feeling, _fear_. Before Komugi has the time to wonder why he would be feeling either of those things in regards to the situation at hand, or to her, her hand is being gently cradled in his.

"And here... you're covered in blood!" He shouts, a bit too loudly, and Komugi inwardly cringes a bit. She fidgets, all too distracted by the way he is now holding her hand. It's weird, it's foreign, she's never had someone touch her with such _gentleness_. He holds her like you would a glass vase, with the utmost tenderness and care as to not shatter it. She is merely human after all, an incredibly fragile creature. She realizes after a moment of awkward silence, that she should respond to the question he had asked her previously, it would be very bad if she upset him any further.

"Because, it's still early.." She begins, her voice is calm and smooth, as she does her best to conceal the bundle of anxiety and nerves tearing at her. She hears a soft gasp, and the grip around her hand tightens ever so lightly. "..and I didn't want to bother anyone." She finishes, exhaling a breath she didn't know she had been holding. A brief moment of tense silence passes before the King opens his mouth again.

"You aren't bothering anyone." He says so firmly, so confidently, that Komugi's heart rate increases. "You are an important guest." The assertion in his tone, it makes her want to believe every word. But surely, there's no way someone like her could be important, there's no way she would ever be anything but a bother. But the way he said it, he was so sure of the words coming out of his mouth, as if he believed them with his whole heart. Her heart began to flutter, and her face began to sting. She could feel the telltale signs of crying start to creep up on her slowly, first her nose started burning, then her eyes began to sting. Her throat felt like it was closing, and her nose began to leak a bit more. It wasn't long before the tears began to pour out of her sightless eyes, and her mouth opened to produce rather unflattering whimpers that she was unable to hold back. The soft whimpers began to grow, until she was outright bawling. She could feel her cheeks start to heat up, partly from crying, partly from the embarrassment of what she a fool she was making out of herself in front of such an important person. Clearly startled by her sudden outburst, the King releases her hand and stands up immediately.

"Why do you cry?" He doesn't understand her, he doesn't understand most humans, but her, he especially doesn't understand. He doesn't understand how she can be so ordinary, yet so special. He doesn't understand how she can provoke such a wide array of feelings and emotions from him when the others merely bore or frustrate him. He doesn't understand why he cares for someone so small, fragile, and insignificant when he is the King. He was born to rule, born to be the ultimate life form. He doesn't understand exactly _what_ she makes him feel.

"I'm sorry!" Komugi suddenly blurts out, interrupting his train of confusing thoughts. "But..but.." She stumbles on her words, trying her hardest to convey what she's trying to say through her tears.

"No one's ever been this nice to me." Suddenly any of the tears she might have been holding back all come flooding out at once, and she's even more of a loud, crying mess. _Well, so much for keeping quiet and not waking anyone up._ But she barely minds, because the one person she was worried most about bothering is standing in front of her, worried for her wellbeing, chastising her for not getting someone to help her. It's all too much for her to handle, and she's emotionally overwhelmed. She's embarrassed and she wants to stop crying and thank him properly, but she can't find it in her. It took all of the mental willpower she had to keep herself calm during the bird attack, and now she was left completely vulnerable. Her protective walls had been shattered and she was entirely exposed. This was dangerous, and that she knew all too well. She was ready to be berated once more, ready to be yelled at for being loud and obnoxious, and for being too foolish to call for help. But the harsh words and reprimands never came, instead the King stood silently, patiently waiting for her to finish crying.

Many minutes passed by, so many that Komugi had lost count, until she began to calm down. Her shrieks and sobs died down to soft whimpers once again as her frail body shook, the last of her outburst beginning to leave her. The gentle night air blew against her face from the open window to help dry her remaining tears, leaving her face feeling cool. Komugi's brain began to function once again, and as she wiped her nose against her sleeve, she began to reassess the situation in her mind. But no matter how many times she thought it over, she couldn't understand it. How had the supreme leader heard what was going on? She had been sure to be as quiet as possible. Was it the bird's obnoxious cawing? It couldn't have been that loud, after all it is a very large castle, and although she is not sure exactly how large it is as she is unable to see it, she knows how far she has to walk to get from her room to the room where they play Gungi. Most importantly, why did he help her? It made no sense, and she couldn't understand his motivations. She wasn't stupid, she had heard people talk about what happens to those who came to play games with the supreme leader. Once he tired of their presence, they never came back out of the castle. Surely her time of boring him was coming soon, wasn't it? Or maybe he wanted to wait until he beat her before he finally rid of her. Komugi had always figured he would get frustrated with her much before then.

This was all too much for her to process or make sense of; people were always much too complicated, unlike Gungi. Gungi was the only thing she understood, she was never very good at understanding feelings or emotions, and she was definitely not very good at understanding other people. But the supreme leader was different from other people, wasn't he? She could tell, the way he walked sounded different, the way he carried himself was different, the way he talked to her and treated her was different. At first she assumed it was his position of power, but she's heard many things about the people who rule over others, and he was nothing like them. He was different, he was kinder. He felt more real to her than anyone else she had met in her life.

"Are you okay?" The King spoke, drawing Komugi out of her thoughts. She jumps a bit, startled by the sudden sound, forgetting he had still not left the room.

"I-I'm okay." She stutters out, and chides herself inwardly almost immediately for it. She had already made a fool of herself enough tonight, she should try to make it up to him properly.

"Thank you, for helping me." This time it comes out without a stutter, but he can still hear the shakiness in her voice. "I'm sorry for the trou-"

"You're still bleeding." He cuts her off before she can finish her apology. Komugi frowns, she doesn't understand why he wouldn't want to hear her apologize. She made such a mess, she woke him up, and then made a complete fool out of herself.

"I'll be okay." She tries her best to give him a smile, but even she can tell the pain is visible on her face. She knows this when she hears him let out a soft sigh, before she hears his odd footsteps begin to walk away from her. He's leaving, finally something she understands. This action makes sense to Komugi, after all of the confusing feelings and emotions that have wreaked havoc on her tonight, she finally understands this one. People leave her frequently, she's used to nobody staying, especially when she's done something wrong or upset someone. But what she doesn't expect is for the footsteps to return a few moments later. Komugi looks up from the floor, still attempting to sniff away the last of her crying spell, with no real success as her nose has always been prone to dripping regardless of whether or not she is crying. Once again she can feel his breath near her face, and she registers this as him crouching in front of her again. Her heart is racing again, why is this? She doesn't understand.

"You need to stay still." He commands her, but it doesn't sound loud or harsh. The way he speaks is firm, but gentle,  and that gentleness drives Komugi's heartbeat up several notches. Nevertheless, she manages to remain as still as she possibly can despite the fact she is still very shaky. The King seems to notice this, and moves towards her very slowly, as if he is trying not to frighten off a deer. He gently places his hand underneath her arm, and raises it up so that he has a better view. It's at this moment that Komugi notices that he seems to lack a finger. She wonders what happened to it, but knows it would be incredibly insensitive to ask, so she keeps her mouth shut. She jumps a bit when she feels a stinging sensation on her arm, and it takes her a few moments before her brain registers that he's cleaning her wounds. The grip on her arm tightens slightly again, but it's so gentle that Komugi feels as if she's going to melt under his touch.

Komugi's sudden movement startles the King, and he reflexively squeezes her arm a bit tighter in response, reminding himself that he needs to be incredibly gentle with her. Humans are such incredibly fragile creatures. He notices her brows furrow together as her teeth sink into her lower lip, this must be her natural response to pain. Regardless of how it is affecting her, she's still doing a very good job of staying still. The King frowns, and almost immediately wonders why that was _his_ natural response to her being in pain. Deep down, he knows he cares about her, but it is something he is unwilling to admit to himself. It is foolish indeed, considering he went to great lengths to care for her wounds when he had no such obligation to do so. He questions his own actions, why did he not just summon Pitou to handle it? He reasons that they are so minor, it would be a waste. They have better things to do anyways, like use their En to monitor the area around the castle. Pitou had been insistent that this was a job they must be diligent in fulfilling; and although the King found it to be pointless as he was more than capable of killing anything that threatened to step within arm's reach, he had decided it harmed nothing to simply leave them to their vice. The answer to his first question only brings upon a second; so then why did he not simply leave her? After all, she did say she was fine, and her injuries were clearly nowhere near fatal. She would still be able to fulfill her purpose of playing Gungi just fine, and that's all he really needed her for right? He found his mind befuddled, he couldn't give himself an answer that would satisfy him. There was also this incredibly new and irritating feeling that had been tugging at the back of his heart and mind ever since he stepped foot in the door to witness her being attacked. This feeling was new to him, but he knew what it was supposed to mean, _guilt_. After all, he had originally come into her room with the purpose of killing her, and now here he sits, gently dabbing her wounds with an alcohol filled cotton ball, listening to her hiss ever so slightly in response; and every time she does, he decidedly dabs even gentler next time. It perplexes him to the point of immense frustration, he is the King, how is it that he does not understand something so simple as his own emotions? He doesn't know how to process this, so he decides to push it to the back of his mind and focus on the task at hand.

Pulling a pack of cloth wraps out of the first aid kit that he had grabbed from the infirmary of the castle, which he did not know existed until moments ago, he begins to wrap the cloth gently over her arm. Once this is done, he tends to the second arm with just as much care as the first. Feeling somewhat proud of himself, although he'd never admit it, of being able to complete such a task without any problems, he finally decides to tackle the biggest obstacle. The King stares into Komugi's blank eyes, and begins to inwardly wonder for how long she has had them open. Although he knows she cannot see anything through them, he still feels a chill run down his spine as he makes eye contact with her. Not liking the way his heart began to beat slightly faster, or the way his face began to heat up, he decides to immediately move his eyes to the cuts across her cheeks.

"I don't think I'm supposed to wrap this around your face." He blurts out suddenly, not realizing how long it had gone before either of them had spoken any words. Komugi jumps a bit at his sudden declaration, her face beginning to heat up at the idea of him touching it.

"No.." She starts, but it comes out way too soft, so she clears her throat before speaking again. "Do you have any Band-Aids? The sticky kind?"

"Band-Aids.." He repeats with slight confusion and wonder. Sensing that he is unsure of what she is talking about, she begins to describe them as best as she can.

"Well, you see they're kind of like, these round little stickers, but they're a long kind of round. They stick to your skin but there's a middle part that isn't sticky. That's where the cut is supposed to go." She explains. The King is even more confused by her rather vague explanation, but decides to look in the first aid kit anyways to see if there is anything that may match her description. He stumbles across a box clearly labeled "Band-Aids" and is thankful for the fact he didn't have to play twenty questions with Komugi in order to find them.

"I found them." He declares, figuring it would be better to keep her updated on the situation. Her lips twitch into a small smile, and she nods softly. His heart flutters. Why? He doesn't understand, and he doesn't like things he doesn't understand. It frustrates him. He grabs another cotton ball out of the small baggy, and pours a generous amount of alcohol onto it. He raises his hand up so that it is level with her face, but finds he is confused on how to proceed from here. He can't really get the right angle like this, and he's afraid that if he just goes in and dabs it that she might startle, and he could jab it too hard. He knows what he has to do to accomplish this task, and his mouth suddenly feels very dry. He licks his lips. He can do this, he is the King. This is a simple objective, and he feels foolish for letting it play so intensely on his emotions, emotions that he does not understand.

"Komugi." He speaks to get her attention. The girl's gaze shifts slightly more towards him, as if she is trying to look at the source of the sound even though she cannot look at anything.

"I'm going to hold your face." The way he said that was wrong, he can tell as soon as he says it, but he doesn't know how else he was supposed to say it. He can tell it's wrong by the way Komugi stills, the way her eyes start to blink rapidly, and the way her cheeks begin to redden. This reaction makes his heart flutter once again. Why does it do that? He doesn't understand. Instead of giving a verbal reaction, she nods her head much too fast. He almost wonders how she doesn't dizzy herself. Figuring that it'd be best to get this over with sooner than later, he reaches out and gently grabs her chin. Her breath hitches, he can hear it. The way it suddenly stops, and the room gets so much quieter; so quiet that he can hear how heavy and fast her heart is suddenly beating. Why does she react like that? He's only touching her face in order to treat her injuries. He doesn't know, and that frustrates him, because he doesn't like not knowing things. He takes care to dab the injuries on her face as gently as possible, knowing that the skin on a human's face tends to be much more sensitive. Once he has finished, and there is no longer blood covering her cheeks, he picks up a Band-Aid and attempts to put it over the first scratch. It just falls off, and he looks at it with confusion and disdain as the small piece of latex and paper flutters to the floor.

"I thought it was supposed to be sticky." He spits out, irritation laced in his voice. He shouldn't be upset at this simple object, in fact it doesn't actually bother him in the slightest. But there are other things on his mind that are currently bothering him, and because he does not understand how to make it stop, he finds himself irritated at every little thing that isn't right.

"D-Did you peel the back off?" Komugi asks timidly, shying away from him. She can sense he is upset, and that instills a fear in her that comes from years of trauma and abuse. It is a natural reaction at this point, a reflex.

"The back?" He questions, this time more softly, as he is not so dense as to miss the way she seems to recoil whenever he is even the slightest bit harsh. He doesn't know why he cares so much.

"The back has a paper on it that makes sure the sticky stuff doesn't stick to anything it's not supposed to. You have to take it off first." Her eyes are cast downward, her whole face tilted towards the floor as if she feels afraid he is going to yell at her. He doesn't like that, why would he yell at her? She has done nothing wrong. It's not her fault the Band-Aid won't stick, it's not her fault the bird decided to attack her, and it's not her fault he can't place these foreign and odd feelings he seems to get whenever he is around her. But it is her fault isn't it? It's only when he is around her specifically. He feels this way with no one else. He ponders asking Pitou later if humans are capable of using a nen that manipulates how one can feel into an indescribable mass of emotions, perhaps he is being hexed by her somehow. He then scolds himself inwardly for being so foolish, he knows she cannot use nen for such a purpose. She isn't even aware it exists at all, and the only time she has even shown to use it was during a Gungi match. Even then, she didn't know she was using it, and her powers seem to lie only in her abilities to play Gungi. Therefore it is logical to assume that she is not manipulating how he feels with nen or any other force. So then, what is she doing to him? What is it that he is feeling, and why? He doesn't understand it in the slightest, and he _hates_ that. He sighs, at nobody but himself and his own internal struggle, and picks the Band-Aid back up off of the ground. He flips it over to the white side, and pulls the flap of white paper back until it is completely off, and tosses it to the side. It looks like it did indeed have a back on it. He looks back up into Komugi's downcast eyes and frowns. There are only three scratches on her face, two on her left cheek, and one on her right. This will be quick, and then he can leave and be alone and away from her and all of these weird things he makes her feel. But the thought of leaving her sends a twinge of upset throughout him. He bites down on his lip until it draws blood. Why does he feel like this? He gently cups her chin again and tilts her head upwards so her face is within view. She has a blank look in her eyes, but he doesn't know what else he would expect from them. He places the Band-Aid on the singular cut on her right cheek, and begins to dig out another one from the box. It happens to be then when Komugi finally decides to speak up.

"C-Can I ask you something...maybe?" She fumbles out. Her voice cracks twice, and her cheeks redden even further out of embarrassment. The King makes short noise of acknowledgement while he carefully peels off the back of the second Band-Aid, which she takes as an invitation to continue.

"Why is it that...you're doing this?" Her eyes are fluttering in several directions, trying to look in so many places even though she cannot see anything anywhere. He believes this to be a sign of nervousness, but he does not understand why she is nervous. He gently places the Band-Aid on one of the cuts on her left cheek, and pauses momentarily to think. But the answer never comes to him; and because he does not know how to respond to her, he finishes placing the third Band-Aid gently onto her face, gathers the first aid kit, and leaves.


	2. An Unexpected Factor

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Before I begin this chapter, I would like to thank everyone who has taken the time to read this story, it means a lot to me. Everyone who has left kudos or nice comments, you have made my days so much better and given me that much more confidence to keep writing. Thank you so much! I hope you continue to enjoy this story as much as I continue to enjoy writing it. I'm sorry that it took so long, I tend to revise my chapters heavily and numerous times until I am wholly satisfied with the result. The next chapter will begin the canon divergence, and I hope that I will be able to continue to tell their story in a way that still feels true to their characters and original source media. I'm sorry if anyone feels a tad OOC, especially Meruem, as I'm still very new to writing them. I really wanted to explore the changes he was undergoing by meeting and continuing to be around Komugi, and so I've tried to focus a lot more on his feelings and perspective since it's not touched on that much in the anime/manga. During this time in canon, everything is incredibly fast pace, and you are only shown that his aura is full of despair, I wanted to try to do my best to maybe show what I believe Meruem was really feeling and going through in this situation.
> 
> Thank you so much for reading, I hope you enjoy it!

The palace walls shook ominously, the threat of death looming dangerously close to its inhabitants. Startled by the sudden and foreign movement, Komugi jolts upwards from where she is seated on the floor. As the first wave of nen dragons begin to pierce the palace roof, the crash of crumbling brick and concrete booms throughout the palace. Komugi lets out a startled gasp, wishing now more than ever that she was able to see what was going on. Whatever it is that's happening, it doesn't sound good; she knows this for certain. She hears a large weight fall and crash near her feet, and she lets out a shriek, stumbling backwards in an attempt to escape the source of the sudden impact. Her mind is whirling, and thinking properly has become exceedingly difficult as she begins to feel the symptoms of panic start to set in. She takes a couple deep breaths and attempts to assess the unfortunate situation she's found herself in once again. _Boy, I seem to be getting myself into a lot of trouble lately, don't I?_ She muses to herself, attempting to alleviate some of the stress. She feels an immense amount of shaking from every single direction. She hears the sound of things crashing and falling, and the only thing she can figure is happening is an attack on the palace. It wouldn't be too outlandish to assume such was the case, as people thrive off of jealousy and power, and attacks on figures of leadership in order to usurp power from them tends to happen more often than she'd like.  Another chunk of the ceiling of her room falls nearby and she jumps. _I really, really need to get out of here._ Her breathing has become ragged and irregular, and despite her anxiety, she attempts to formulate a plan of escape. She backs up as far as she can until she feels her back hit the cold, stone wall. She feels around, and finding that it is still solid, she begins to try and follow the wall until she can find the exit. Komugi has lived her life in firm belief that she should never be a bother to anyone, and so she was not about to start calling out for help now. What Komugi does realize though, is that every instinct in her body is telling her to flee, to run, and to leave the room she's in; and so she attempts to do just that. She runs her hand flat against the wall, sprinting forward as fast as she deems she possibly can without accidentally running into anything. An abrupt, loud crash startles Komugi, and she can tell that whatever had fallen landed very close to her current position. It shakes the entire room, throwing her a couple feet from the wall that she was trailing. She looks around disoriented as a simple human reflex, albeit her sightless eyes providing her no help in her current predicament. It's all incredibly overwhelming, she doesn't know how to process what's happening, and how can she even begin to? She's afraid, deathly afraid. She wants to cry and scream and run, but more than anything, she wants to find the Supreme Leader. She needs to find him, this is all her mind is telling her. If she can just find him, she knows she will be safe. He is the one thing she can trust in, the one thing she is able to believe in. He is the one thing that she knows will keep her safe.

Forgoing the idea of finding a wall, she darts out in front of her towards where she believes the door may be. The loud, crashing sounds continue around her, spiking her anxiety level until she feels like she is going to vomit up her insides. The entire palace is shaking immensely, and Komugi is more terrified than she has ever been in her whole life. She makes it a good ten feet to the door in front of her, before an massive weight pierces her midsection. _What...is that?_ _It feels warm, no it feels hot, very hot._ _It feels sharp, and awful, like a very hot knife, a very big and heavy knife_. Komugi instantly drops to her knees. The pain is absolutely unbearable, and she doesn't know what's causing it. She knows she can't see it, but she still wants to know what hit her, so she reaches out to grasp the area of her body that is screaming in pain. There's nothing there, no debris, no sharp object, nothing except for a very sticky substance which she quickly realizes to be her own blood. Her mind is racing, and she can quickly feel everything becoming much more fuzzy. Her world is spinning, and she can't even see it. It hurts so much, but she doesn't understand why.  She curls inward, and grasps at her injury, pleading and begging, that if there is a God, he will make the pain go away. At this point, Komugi cares not whether she lives or dies. She knows she is but one in billions of ordinary human beings, and that she is one of the worst kinds. A disabled, useless, worthless amalgamation of atoms and matter that have taken the form of a young girl; that's all she is. Even though she knows that is all she is, she is so tired of suffering for it. Every waking moment of her life she has spent suffering, the only reprieves she has been allowed are when she plays Gungi, and every moment spent with the Supreme Leader. Perhaps those are the only times Komugi can say she has ever felt any sort of peace, any semblance or fragment of happiness. So as Komugi lays clutching her wound on the cold tiles of the palace floor, she cries out with her last ounce of energy, begging for anything to make the pain go away. The sound of footsteps unexpectedly catches her attention, and she feels a wave of relief wash over her. Someone has come to answer her prayers. She is truly blessed, the most lucky girl in the entire world. She had never thought she would ever be so fortunate as to have a wish granted, but in her final moments, finally she has been blessed with a stroke of luck.

"H-Hello..? Please..help." She chokes out between gasps of pain. She stretches her arms out and claws forward, doing whatever she can to garner whoever had walked within earshot's attention. The footsteps come closer, she can hear them getting louder. The tears flow endlessly from her eyes, her consciousness waning. They stop in front of her. She doesn't know who this is, but she is very sure that it is not the Supreme Leader. She can tell by the footsteps, his are very different, and she's made sure to pay so much extra attention to them as if she might understand why they are different if she keeps doing so.

"Ah..isn't that a shame?" A sharp, cruel voice pierces Komugi's ears. She immediately knows who this is. It's one of the Supreme Leaders guards, or at least, she assumes that is their relationship to him. Names have always seemed to fail her, and especially now when she is barely coherent and her brain is screaming that everything hurts, she cannot recall which one it is. It matters not though, as she is not so stupid as to be unaware of the distaste they harbor for her. She can tell in the way they handle her, the way they drag her back to her room much too harshly. She can tell by the things they say to her, the way they refer to her, and the whispers and sighs she hears whenever they think she isn't listening. She can tell that her existence is but an annoyance to them, and that they only begrudgingly accept to take minimal care of her out of their loyalty to the Supreme Leader.

"Please..please it hurts..so much." Komugi chokes out, knowing that she will receive no help. She doesn't mind if he simply puts her out of her misery at this point, even if there are still so many things she wants to say to the Supreme Leader before her time is up. So many Gungi matches she wants to play with him. There are all these emotions she still had not figured out yet, emotions that always begin to rile up whenever she is with him. She would have liked to have at least put a name to them before she wasn't able to anymore. She wanted to thank him, again and again, until her voice gave out, for all the happiness, generosity, and kindness he had given and shown her. More than anything, she just wanted to be in his presence again, the only place she felt _right_. But the sickening laugh from the creature that stood above her made her acutely aware that she was not going to receive any of these things, and as their footsteps begin to clack away from her direction, she lets out one final shriek of despair.

The final wave of nen dragons had penetrated the palace. For a moment, everything seemed to go deathly still. As the dust settled, and the few remaining pieces of debris clacked and crumbled to the ground, the world seemed to have come to a complete stop for a very miniscule period of time. The King had been having a rather rough night. He was so frequently troubled by these new feelings and emotions that he had come to uncover by playing Gungi with Komugi. He was determined to figure out these feelings and understand what exactly they meant, and how he was supposed to deal with them. He was currently in the middle of pacing around his throne room lost in thought, when he had sensed the tremendous amount of nen radiating from above. Immediately flying out the window to see what was going on, he felt a pang of mild irritation and annoyance when he finally gazed at the sky above him. He was more than ready to just kill the intruder so he could get back to the more important matter that occupied his thoughts. As the suffocating amount of nen began to draw closer, he felt another emotion that he was not quite used to experiencing, worry.  He was not worried for his own wellbeing though, or the state the palace was going to end up in, or even what might happen to his royal guards. In fact he was only worried about one thing in particular, one being to be specific. With a dreadful feeling in the pit of his stomach, the King flew hurriedly to the part of the palace in which he knew Komugi was currently residing in. Upon approaching the outside walls of the guest room she had been assigned to, a wave of anguish began to befall him as he noticed the ravaged state it was currently in. As he burst through the window and began to process the scene in front of him, he was greeted with a whole new wave of emotions. Fantastic, as if he didn't have enough to sort out already. Fear was the first one he could identify, and it hit him intensely. It was not a fear for his own wellbeing, or for anything that may happen to him. It was a fear of loss, a fear for another being's life. The second one was pain, but it was a completely new and different type of pain from the physical one he was familiar with. This was emotional pain, and it hurt way more than tearing off his own arm ever did. The sight of Komugi's limp, seemingly lifeless body soaked in her own deep, crimson blood and draped across the broken tile floors, was enough to drive him completely over the edge and into utter despair. His mind was completely blank as he rushed to her side immediately, only one thought ringing in his head repeatedly. _I have to save her._

The King knelt on the ground before Komugi, delicately picking her off of the floor to gently cradle her in his arms. He was absolutely devastated at the thought of her dying, and he was currently too upset to care why it mattered so much. He had witnessed plenty of death in his rather short lifespan, and he had been the cause of far too many of these deaths to keep count of. Why should this one be any different? He didn't know, and he didn't care. He was currently an emotional wreck, and all he wanted was to make Komugi okay again. Having a basic knowledge of human anatomy, he gingerly places two of his fingers over her neck where he knew the carotid artery to be. He was more than relieved to find her pulse still there, even if it was faint. At some point, two of the humans which he presumed had caused the nen attack from earlier had joined him in the room. They appeared to be frozen in place,  absolute shock and bewilderment painting all of their features, as if they had just witnessed an unfathomable sight and were unable to process the current situation. Regardless, their presence did not faze the King in the slightest, he was not worried about them at all. There was only one thing on his mind right now, and that was Komugi. He cursed himself inwardly for not learning more about human anatomy and medical treatment. When it came to ending human lives, the King was rather proficient at it, but saving them? He was at a total loss, this was most definitely not his area of expertise. Dragging him out of his thoughts moments later, someone else burst through the same window he had entered previously, and he did not need to turn his head and look to know that it was Neferpitou. This was perfect, exactly what he needed. Neferpitou specialized in this department, they would be able to fix Komugi. Ever so carefully, as humans were fragile creatures and she was already severely injured, he lifted Komugi into his arms. Slowly, as to hopefully not cause any more injury or pain, he walked over to where Neferpitou stood on the windowsill, an expression of horror and sorrow plastered upon their face. He bent down, and gently placed her on the floor in front of them.

"Heal Komugi." He ordered them, and Neferpitou knew immediately that they could not refuse.

"I'm counting on you." His voice was steady, and although he wore a mask of complete placidity, inside he was a shaking mess. He was terrified, and that was a feeling he was not used to. The one emotion he felt that he was familiar with was anger. He was angry that he had allowed her to get so gravely injured; he was absolutely furious he was not there to protect her. Neferpitou leapt from the windowsill immediately after the command was given, and landed in front of Komugi, peering down to assess the damage. Briskly wiping the tears from their eyes, they began to focus on the task the King had given them.

"Doctor Blythe." Neferpitou spoke, conjuring their nen doll to begin operating on Komugi. The King felt himself let out a sigh of relief, knowing that she would be in good hands. If anything, he knew he could count on Neferpitou, as they had never disappointed him. There was nothing he could do now but wait, and he had never been a very patient being. In the mean time, he decided it would do him good to focus on something other than the raging storm of emotions brewing inside him. Deciding he was feeling alright enough to leave Komugi in Neferpitou's capable hands, the King turned to address the two humans for the first time. He knew what they wanted, and he was going to give it to them, but not here. Anywhere but here, anywhere that wasn't near Komugi, and would get in the way of her treatment or risk her any further injury.

"Not here." He finally spoke aloud, voicing his thoughts while leaving out his reasoning. They didn't need to know, but he assumed they weren't so stupid as to not understand why he did not want to fight in this particular location.

"Let us go elsewhere, I believe that a different location would be to your benefit as well." He finished, taking one last glance at Komugi, before turning to leave. As he took his first step forward, he felt something grasp his ankle. Startled, he whipped his head back around to look at Komugi's body once again. Her hand was grasped as tightly as she could manage onto his ankle, her fingers trembling, staring up at him with her blank, milky eyes. She looked more vulnerable and fragile than he had ever seen her. The King was surprised to say the least, he was fairly certain she was unconscious. At the very least, he was relieved to know she wasn't in immediate danger of death. Once again, his surroundings were null, and all of his attention was focused on the girl squirming in agony beneath him.

"Please..." She choked out, barely comprehensible; but to the King's sharp ears, her words were perfectly clear. He stilled completely, in attempt to show that he would go no further until she finished what she wanted to say.

"Please...Supreme Leader.." She continued, tears beginning to well in her eyes once again, and the King felt as if his heart was being squeezed in the most uncomfortable manner possible.

"Please...stay with..me." She finished finally, her entire arm shaking. Her hand no longer held the strength to maintain clasped onto his ankle, and fell on the ground once again. This was the first and only request she had ever made. It was selfish, she knew this fully, but she was in so much pain that she felt like she was dying, and all she wanted was for him to be there in her final moments. She wanted to be with him for just a little bit longer. The King was completely taken aback, his eyes widening and his jaw trembling, a whole new wave of emotions threatening to tear him apart at his seams. Just looking at her pleading, pathetic form as she reached out for him was all it took to make his heart start beating in a frenzy. Her soft, teary eyes on her delicate, pain stricken face was threatening to undo the foundations of his very being. He was suddenly terribly overwhelmed, and it took him several moments before he was able to collect his composure. In this time Komugi stayed silent, waiting for an answer, whimpering in pain as the last of her strength began to leave her. The King found himself unable to give her one, even though he had already made up his mind. He was too afraid to open his mouth, for he was not sure he would be in complete control of whatever left it. The state he was in left him feeling incredibly vulnerable, and he hated that feeling more than anything. His entire life he had been sure of himself and his purpose, never once doubting who he was, but the scene in front of him had him questioning everything from his morals down to his very existence. Komugi's trembling died down as she fell back into unconsciousness, and the King could not bring it in himself to leave her after hearing her request. It was the only thing she had ever asked of him, and he was going to be damned if he didn't fulfill it. It was absurd really, he took orders from no one, and was by no means obligated to listen to anything she, or anyone else asked of him. She was also unconscious, which meant if he left to swiftly kill the two intruders and came back before she woke, she would be none the wiser. This thought did not settle well with the King, and he knew that he had already made his decision anyways.

"Pitou, how long will it take to heal Komugi?" He turned his attention to the chimera ant seated on the floor, their ears perking up at the sound of his voice.

"I estimate around three to four hours to heal her fully, but to stabilize her condition and heal the fatal injuries, perhaps just about under an hour." They replied solemnly, finally beginning to calm down after witnessing the overwhelming despair in the King's aura only minutes ago. He hums in acknowledgement, satisfied with their answer, and turns once again towards the humans waiting at the door.

"I will go with you in one hour." He tells them, and immediately moves to sit near Komugi's head. Not liking the way she is placed so uncomfortably on the cold tile floor, he delicately picks her head up and places it onto his lap. This sudden gesture appears to befuddle both of the humans observing the scene in front of them, and they look at each other in complete bewilderment. Neferpitou glances at the two of them for a second, but does not make any remarks, continuing to focus on healing Komugi. The way Komugi's head feels on his lap makes his heart beat quite a bit faster. Her soft, snow-white hair had come undone from its bands, and was now completely untamed as it sprawled across his legs, tickling the insides of his thighs. He could feel her shallow, ragged breaths graze his stomach ever so lightly, as he gently turned her face inward to look at it. The King was always an incredibly observant creature, but admittedly, he had never taken the time to notice all of the finer features of Komugi's face. _What a shame,_ he briefly thought as he began to observe it carefully, wanting to memorize every single detail in case he might never see it again. _What a foolish worry, Pitou will heal her._ He quickly chastised himself for thinking so negatively. This was the closest he had been to her aside from cleaning her wounds the previous night. He noticed that she still wore the Band-Aids he had applied on her face and arms. He studied the way her thick, bushy eyebrows furrowed, still scrunched up in pain even though she wasn't conscious. He found it intriguing that they were so dark while her hair was so light, void of any color at all, a stark opposite to her eyebrows. He then glanced down to her eyes, peacefully closed and complimented by her thick eyelashes, still damp from crying. He then moved down to look at her nose, which was small and round, like a little button. The King had to suppress a very odd and unnatural urge to press on it lightly, and he found himself confused as to where this thought had come from. It was dripping snot, but that wasn't unusual. He figured she had some sort of allergy problem, so he never brought it up, as humans were full of these kinds of defects. He was well aware that the human nose was vital in breathing, and although she could still breathe out of her mouth, he figured it must be uncomfortable for her to have her nose stuffed up all of the time. He pondered whether or not to ask Neferpitou if they could do anything to fix this while his eyes finally glanced down to her lips, which were lightly chapped and soft pink, parted slightly so that she could breathe through them. Their color reminded him of the cherry blossom trees he had seen while travelling. Looking at them made his stomach feel fluttery, but he wasn't sure why. It was frustrating not being able to understand himself anymore, when he had been born so confident in who he was. These days, he was used to not understanding the things he felt, especially when in Komugi's presence. He decided since he had an hour to wait, he could put this time to use to continue pondering these things.

"You're welcome to wait here as well." He calls out to the humans still standing at the doorway, eyeing the King with bewilderment and suspicion. They look at each other briefly, and with an unspoken agreement, nod before taking a seat on the floor.


End file.
